Amazon FAQ – What if an Item Has No Sales Rank?

Here is another common question I have received from my clients and see on message boards. Part of the decision making process when determining whether or not an item is a good fit for Amazon is sales rank. But what if an item does not have a rank, or the rank is zero?

No sales rank. We (experienced Amazon sellers) believe this means that the item has sold at least once in the past but a long time period has passed. It could have been months or even years since a sale.

Zero rank. The item has recently been listed and no sales has occurred yet.

So, your next question is, what do I do if there is not a rank, or the rank is zero?

Here is how I approach a zero rank situation. If I have a gut feeling about a product, based on my own experience with a brand name or type of product, I will watch the item and see what happens. Eventually a ranking will appear when some are sold. My feeling is that someone obviously knows enough to have taken the time to list the product and do all the work. If I don’t have enough experience to make the call, I can take advantage of another seller’s initiative and pay attention to the situation.

I also pay attention to the seller who listed the item. I look at these factors:

1. Does the seller have a lot of feedback – meaning are they experienced?


2. Does the seller have a large product offering?


3. Does the seller specialize in a certain category, such as toys or health and beauty?


4. Does the seller have a lot of products with a zero ranking, which would indicate that they experiment regularly?

If you don’t have the experience or knowledge to understand whether a zero ranked product is worth listing, watch other more experienced sellers.

Also, a note about zero ranks. I have experimented with products with a zero rank and sold maybe 25-30 of the product before a ranking showed up on the listing or FBA Scout. So, although the rank may show as zero, and it APPEARS that no sales have occurred, you can’t always make that assumption.

My best advice on zero ranked products is to go with your gut. If your inner voice is telling you that the item will sell, you know the brand name is a good seller, or you yourself use the product and like it, follow that instinct. Buy a couple and see what happens. You may discover a situation where the item sells and the ranking stays a zero for a few months. Competitors will look at the item thinking none have sold yet. And you will be laughing all the way to the bank!

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What Should I Sell on Amazon, and Where do I find It?

I receive this question daily from both readers and clients. There are infinite answers to this question depending on many different factors. I wanted to share a few items that I was successful selling on Amazon this holiday season, just to show how diverse your product line can be. Also keep in mind that I am a real person out there selling, just like you, every day.

K-Y Touch Massage Variety Pack. I found this on clearance at grocery stores last summer. My cost was between $5 and $9. This item sold on Amazon for between $29 and $32. I sold 50 of these between August 1 and December 31:


Here is the info on my last sale, so you can see the selling price:


I was also able to find this item online and bought out the seller. (Not on Amazon, another site.) This product is now discontinued. I was the only seller for most of the 4 months I offered this item for sale. Profit on this item averaged $13. Total profit $13 x 50 = $650. You can click here to see that this item is currently unavailable on Amazon.



Sonic Scrubber Power Cleaning Tool. I found these on clearance at grocery stores, hardware stores, and home improvement stores for between $6 and $13. Selling price was up to $44.95. I sold 45 of them between August 1 and October 31:


Here is the info on my last sale, so you can see the selling price:

My average profit on this item was $24. Total profit was $24 x 45 = $1,080. You can click here to see that this item is currently unavailable on Amazon. This product has been discontinued which explains the exorbitant price buyers paid.

Black and Decker Rechargeable Spotlight. I found these last fall at Tuesday Morning for $14.99. These were in the "boring automotive section," but because the brand is Black and Decker, I took a chance. Selling price was between $42 and $46. I sold 13 of them between September 1 and December 31:


Here is the info on my last sale, so you can see the selling price:


Average profit per item was $24. Total profit $24 x 13 = $312.

So as you can see, selling on Amazon FBA is much more than just selling books or selling items from Big Lots and competing against other sellers for a few dollars profit. My profit on these 3 items alone was $2,042 over a 4 month period - and this is just 3 items! In fact, these 3 products paid my mortgage for 2 months. That is how exciting selling on Amazon can be!

Learn more about selling on Amazon by taking a class designed to help you make money with the world's largest online marketplace. The grocery category offers unlimited opportunities to source local products and sell them to customers nationwide. Register for The ABCs of Selling Groceries on Amazon and learn how to make thousands of dollars a month selling products from your local grocery store.

eBay Seller Success Story - Caroling Bells Set

Recently, I received this eBay seller success story from Mandi Kennett:

I am a member of Treasure Hunters Cove and love that forum!

I held out for a long time to find the right seller for this item, but it paid off!

Dept 56 "Caroling Bells" figurine set, bisque porcelain, found for $5 at a garage sale summer of 2010 & listed since Sept/10. I have had many less than spectacular best offers but held out for the "right" buyer who arrived today during my 15% off pre-Christmas Sale!

I sold Caroling Bells for $84.96!

Below is a screenshot of the closed listing on eBay:




You can visit Mandi's eBay store, Mandicrafts Bears and Collectibles, here.

Do you have a great sale or an interesting eBay item to share? Send your find to eBaycoach@yahoo.com for consideration.


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eBay Seller Success Story – From Craigslist Find to eBay Success!

eBay Powerseller Alyson sent in this success story:

As a Powerseller eBay mommy, I follow and love your blog! You gave me the idea of picking up freebies from Craigslist for resale, and I have had a handful of successes, but wanted to share this one.

I picked up a vintage 1930’s Radio someone said was headed for the landfill, and it sold for $249.00 in an auction! I am now on the lookout for vintage electronics as I had so many watchers on this one. Thanks so much for your advice, Craigslist is an amazing product source for sure.

A screenshot of the listing is shown below.





You can visit Alyson’s eBay store, Aly’s Alcove here.

Do you have a great sale or an interesting eBay item to share? Send your find to eBaycoach@yahoo.com for consideration.



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How to Shrink Wrap Products for Online Selling

Charlie, a member of my Facebook group, was kind enough to share his process for shrink wrapping items. Many of you sell health and beauty, food, baby, or other items that require sealing, bundling, or plastic wrap for shipping or storage. This technique is especially useful if you sell on Amazon FBA and bundle items or sell liquid items that could leak. Charlie showed us a way to make our products look really professional and the tools for this process. Here is Charlie’s demo video:





Here are the supplies you will need:

Easyway 16 inch heat sealer

Shrink wrap film

Wagner power heat gun


This sure beats using packaging tape and Saran wrap! What a time saver. I can see this process working for:

Health and beauty products

Food products sold in bundles

Plush toys

Toys in open-faced boxes

Clothing items (get them small enough to fit in Flat Rate envelopes!)

Office supplies

Books, DVDs, and CDs

Anything you need to re-bundle

Thanks, Charlie for this great demo!

Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest 2011

It’s Ugly Christmas Sweater time again! These are hot sellers on eBay this time of year. Here’s why – hosts have a Christmas party and invite guests - but everyone must wear an ugly Christmas or holiday sweater. The winner gets a prize. Some of these parties are done as charity benefits, held at a public location, to raise money for needy families during the holidays. Some are just for fun. These sweaters are nauseatingly festive and disturbing.

You can find these gaudy sweaters in thrift stores for less than $5. In past years, ugly Christmas sweaters have sold for up to $100. America seems to have vast reserves of these in thrift stores. If you can’t find one in a thrift store, create one yourself. Here is a video to show how easy it is to make that perfect ugly sweater:



Head on over to my eBay Seller's Facebook group to participate in this year’s virtual ugly sweater contest. Here is how it will work:

To be eligible, sweaters must be listed before December 5.

The sweater selling for the highest price wins!

You can post links to your ugly sweaters on the Ugly Sweater Contest thread in the group if you like.
(We can all use a daily laugh during the stressful holiday selling season!) Just search the box in the top right corner to find the Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest.

Winner will be announced on December 20 and will receive a $25 Amazon gift card via email.

Feel free to repost this contest anywhere - your Facebook page, Twitter, or your own blog. Let's have some fun with ugly sweaters!


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Great News for Children’s Book Sellers!

I read an interesting article yesterday on the New York Times titled, “For Their Children, Many eBook Fans Insist on Paper.” I have agreed with the points in this article since the beginning of eBooks – that electronic readers are not a threat to all types of printed books. (Refer to my blog post from September 2010, “Amazon Kindle Will Not Make Printed Books Obsolete.”)

This article should provide comfort and encouragement for those of you who sell children’s books on both eBay and Amazon. The author states that although parents are technologically savvy and may have an e-reader, electronic reading devices are not such a good fit for little children. Any parent knows how messy little kids are and that accidents happen. Printed books won’t necessarily be ruined if a sippy cup turns over on them, or if they are dropped in the bath tub. (Been there, done that.)

Printed books are also more interactive than e-readers. Scientific research shows that there is a direct connection between learning and brain stimulation when holding a physical printed book while reading – whether a child is reading (or just looking at the book) alone or an adult is holding the child and reading the book to her. Not every learning experience is going to translate to an electronic device. (I had a math teacher tell me one time not to try to do problems in my head. There is a direct connection between the brain and the pencil in your hand that helps you work through the problems and arrive at the answer. Same concept with physical old fashioned books – the tactile experience.)

So keep those children’s books coming to eBay and Amazon. If you are not yet selling on Amazon, now is definitely the time to get started. Check out my free report about selling books on Amazon.


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